


A Corporate Affair

by gingerface



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 13:51:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1781377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerface/pseuds/gingerface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new student from the United States joins Ouran High School, and quickly befriends Haruhi.  Of course, being friends with Haruhi means being friends with the Host Club.  Shenanigans and romance ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Contact

Haruhi opened the door of the Third Music Room to a wave of heat.

_I’m really in for it today, aren’t I?_

As she walked through the doorway, a few things started to catch her attention.  First, the room had been completely redecorated to accommodate what seemed to be a jungle theme.  Exotic flowers were strategically placed around the room, and high-reaching palm trees with perched toucans gave a fitting backdrop for the day’s events.  Large coconuts grew from the trees, while butterflies flitted around the room.  An iguana ran by her towards a nearby fern.

_This is all quite extravagant. . ._ Haruhi thought to herself.  Of course, she had heard rumors of the club’s forays into themes, but this all seemed over the top.  It was about that time that the six other host members called her name, Honey frantically trying to wave her down.

Haruhi wanted nothing more than to laugh at the ridiculous sight in front of her.  The host members were adorned in what appeared to be tropical wear, the most extravagant being Tamaki, of course.

“You finally made it Haruhi, you’re so late,” the twins said in unison.

Haruhi only rolled her eyes in response.

After a brief introduction to the day’s events, the Host members began to separate to attend to their individual clients.

Haruhi decided to stay back and watch the twins perform their usual bit.  Of course, the two guests were practically squirming in their seats with excitement as the boys performed their twincest bit.

“So,” Haruhi said, turning towards Kyoya, “are you the one that came up with this tropical paradise idea?”

Kyoya responded calmly: “I have no decision making authority.  All of the club’s policies have been laid out by the club’s King, Tamaki.  But, I guess there’s no harm in admitting to casually slipping a Bali photobook on to his desk.”

Haruhi had thought for a while Kyoya was the real brains behind the operation, but he just confirmed her suspicions.  Haruhi shook her head and walked off to the general direction of her clients.

Her clients were the typical run-of-the-mill entitled rich kids, so Haruhi had no problem entertaining them.  A few questions arose about the party, but Haruhi just redirected them to Tamaki and Kyoya, as she herself had no intentions of going.

Her next appointment was a girl by the name of Kanako.  She had short brown hair and deep brown eyes that gave her a smile to be reckoned with.  Haruhi greeted her new client and began her appointment with her.

After some time had passed, Kanako took her leave.

_That leaves one more appointment for the day_ . . . Haruhi thought to herself. 

 “Would you happen to be Haruhi?” a female voice asked from behind.

Haruhi turned around to see a medium-sized girl with a very small build.  She had red hair that cascaded down in gentle curls to her mid-stomach, which only seemed to better accentuate her intelligent green eyes.  As Haruhi recalled, she had been a last minute appointment after another Host ended up overbooked.  As far as Haruhi was concerned, she just looked like another one of the typical guests.

“I would indeed,” said Haruhi, a polite smile on her face.  “Please, come sit down.”

The girl did as directed and sat on the couch opposite of Haruhi, lightly resting her bag on the ground.  Haruhi remembered someone telling her that her name was Avabelle.

“So, Avabelle, tell me a little bit about yourself.”

The girl looked at her intensely, as if trying to discern something from her eyes. 

“Haruhi, tell me, how does a girl like yourself end up in the Host Club?” Avabelle asked almost sweetly, her eyes not once moving from Haruhi’s.

_What?  How could she know that?_   Haruhi’s mind started to race at the implications.  If she was found out, she would not be able to pay back her debts to the club, and God knows she didn’t want the other Host’s coming up with a different way for her to pay them back.

Haruhi decided to shrug it off as a rumor.  “I honestly wouldn’t know, though would you mind explaining why you would ask such an odd question?”

The girl looked emotionless, her eyes cold and calculating. 

Weird, I could have sworn I’ve seen those eyes somewhere else. . .

Haruhi was shaken out of her thought by the voice continuing on, this time dripping with venom.

“Please, the Host Club can dress you up all they want, but some mannerisms will remain to be seen for those who decide to look.”

The girl was still looking at Haruhi, but her gaze had changed to a more scrutinizing one.  Haruhi simply didn’t know how to reply, so she stayed quiet, hoping this was some kind of joke.

It wasn’t.

After five minutes passed of this excruciating silence, Avabelle shrugged her shoulders and picked up her bag.  From it, she grabbed a book.  Haruhi was curious, but not enough so to ask her what she was doing.  Avabelle opened the book to a pre-marked page and started reading it. 

Haruhi was completely floored.  Had she done something to insult her?

“I’m sorry; did I say or do something to offend you?” Haruhi asked hesitantly.

The girl drew her eyes away from the book to once again look at Haruhi. Then she returned to her book.

Kyoya came by, obviously making sure that the Hosts were doing their jobs.  If he saw the way the things were going now, he would likely increase her debt.  Again. 

Haruhi once again tried talking to the girl, but she could solicit no response from her, and Kyoya was getting closer.

“Haruhi, how are you and Ms. Ishida doing?”  Kyoya asked in a pointed manner, as if reminding Haruhi of her debt.

Haruhi was frantically trying to come up with a response to Kyoya’s question when she heard Avabelle respond for her.

“Haruhi and I are having a wonderful time.  As a matter of a fact, I was just sharing some of my favorite lines of poetry with him.”  A convincing smile covered Avabelle’s face as she responded in that deceivingly innocent voice of hers.

“Well Ms. Ishida, I am glad that a beautiful woman such as yourself has found a Host that suits her well.” Kyoya replied with a similarly convincing smile on his face.

“Well now, someone has quite the quicksilver tongue.”  Avabelle replied.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses carefully and gave off a laugh.  “Ms. Ishida, you wound me.” 

“Rest assured, my intentions are far less interesting.”

“Then I shall take my leave so that you may continue your sharing of poetry.”

With that, Kyoya walked away, furiously scribbling in his notebook.  Avabelle’s smile dropped quickly as he left.

Haruhi was now thoroughly intrigued with the red head sitting across from her.  Everything about her was impeccably neat: her dress looked like it had recently been pressed, and her hair was unbelievably perfect, with a simple bow holding back her bangs.  Her nails were painted with a clean French manicure that finished the look.  Haruhi moved to the book, but it yielded no usable information as the cover had been removed, and her hand was covering the spine.

Haruhi looked out of a close window to see the time.  To her shock, their appointment wasn’t even half-way done.

She decided to try and ask another question.

“So, Avabelle, what are you reading?”

The girl once again looked up at her.  This time, her gaze was far less piercing as she responded in a calm, emotionless voice.

“It’s an in-depth analysis of Japan’s shifting market system, starting with the intervention of American Imperialism in the old traditional economy.”

Haruhi was floored.  If anything, she was expecting the typical romance fare that the other guests were prone to read, but then again, Haruhi was starting to believe Avabelle was anything but typical. 

“That seems like a far-fetch from poetry,” Haruhi responded, curious as to why Avabelle had acted the way she had.

“And would you have rather I tell him our true topic of conversation?”  Her eyes were looking at Haruhi over the brim of the book, as she gently lifted one of her eyebrows.  Haruhi had to act quickly if she wanted to keep her attention.

“I broke a vase.”

Avabelle seemed rather confused as she put the book down. 

“Care to elaborate?”

Haruhi continued: “You asked me how a female came to join the Host Club.  Well, I entered the headquarters looking for somewhere to study, only to find six guys running a shady business.  I unintentionally broke a vase that cost 8 million yen, and, not being able to personally pay for it, agreed to work for the Host Club until I have covered the cost.”

The girl looked at her, as if Haruhi’s words had stunned her.  And then, she laughed a light lilting laugh that was a far-cry from her previously unemotional state.

“I admit that I was not expecting that.  I take it that this is not your typical afternoon activity then?”

Haruhi couldn’t help but join in the laughter.  “Not all of us can have traditional beginnings.  As for my typical activities, you’re right: this isn’t exactly my cup of tea.  However, something tells me it’s not your cup of tea either.”

 “My step mother believes that I spend too much time studying and learning, and not enough time expanding my contacts and strengthening my social graces.  Unfortunately for me, her idea of strengthening my social graces is sending me here in the hopes that maybe I’ll find a husband.”

As Haruhi let that thought settle in, Avabelle looked at her watch.

“Oh my, it seems our time together has come to an end.  I suppose I shall see you later on, then?”

Haruhi smiled widely.  “Absolutely, I had a great time talking with you today.”

And with that, Avabelle took her leave.


	2. An Afternoon for Tea

Haruhi stared out the music room window, watching as the blooming cherry trees swayed gently in the spring wind.   The past few days had held a lot of excitement for everybody, Haruhi not excluded: a first kiss and a new manager had left her mind scattered.  As much as she was loathe to admit it, Haruhi was glad to return to the normality of weekly appointments.

Speaking of appointments. . .

Avabelle had just arrived for her allotted time with Haruhi.  The red head gingerly put her bag down and put her manicured hands in her lap, something that Haruhi had come accustomed to over the past few weeks of their meeting.

“Is something on your mind Haruhi?” Avabelle asked lightly.

“Nothing too much.  The twins are in a tug-of-war match, and I’ve recently become their rope.  They’ve been threatening to follow me home from school.”

“You know what, now that you mention it, I did see two colorful creatures fighting by the door, but I simply assumed that the zoo had a few escaped animals,” Avabelle replied in a joking manner.

The two girls laughed heartily at the joke.

“In any event,” Avabelle continued, glancing over Haruhi’s shoulder, “it appears we have a visitor.”

As if her comment had summoned him, Kyoya walked up to their meeting area.  Over the past few weeks, Kyoya had acquired a habit of dropping in on Haruhi’s meetings with Avabelle.  As to why, Haruhi was unsure, but she suspected it was more than the ‘normal observations’ that Kyoya offered up as an explanation.  In his hands, Kyoya carried a tray with an ornate tea set that Haruhi estimated to be worth more than the contents of her entire home.

“Would you two mind if I joined you today?” Kyoya asked in a pleasant manner.

Haruhi was floored.  Of all things, that was not what she expected.  From the looks of it, Avabelle was just as confused, though she did a much better job of hiding it.

“Uh, sure senpai,” Haruhi replied, still shocked.

Kyoya took a spot, and gently laid the tea set on the gilded coffee table that separated the two girls.  He smiled as he poured a cup of tea for himself and the other Host.  He then looked at Avabelle.

“Can I be so bold as to offer you a cup of tea, Ms. Ishida?” he asked her in a pleasant, albeit formal, tone.

“It would be my pleasure, but please, call me Avabelle” she responded in an equal tone.

He handed her the tea, which she delicately accepted and raised to her lips.

“And to what do we owe this pleasant visit?” she asked, lowering the cup back to the saucer.

“Seriously, don’t you have your own clients, senpai?” Haruhi asked.

A look of hurt took over Kyoya’s face as he pushed up his glasses.

“Forgive me, I do not mean to intrude.  I simply wish to get to better know some of our clients.   As to my own meetings, I’m afraid they all ended some time ago, leaving me far too much free time on my hands.  If I have come at a bad time, simply speak it, for it would be to my chagrin that I interrupt a discussion of import.”  

 “Nonsense,” Avabelle replied in the same even tone, “you could hardly have come at a better time.  Haruhi was just mentioning how his throat was feeling dry from all the talking he has done today.”

“Oh?” Kyoya looked at Haruhi appraisingly then looked back at Avabelle.

“Knowing Haruhi, I somehow find that hard to believe.” he said, that same fake smile still plastered on his face.

Avabelle simply laughed the comment off.  Haruhi looked between the two with confusion.

_What is going on?  I’ve never seen senpai act like this with a client before.  What is he doing?_ Haruhi thought quietly, content to stay out of the conversation for now.

A few minutes later found the two discussing their classes for the semester.  Haruhi had forgotten that the two were in the same class.

“Ah, you must forgive me.  Other matters require my attention, so I must take my leave for now.” Kyoya said, putting his tea cup and saucer back on the tray.

“Very well, then.  Sharing this time with you has been a pleasure,” Avabelle replied politely.

“Let me assure that the pleasure has been all mine,” Kyoya replied somewhat warmly.

As Kyoya walked away, Avabelle turned back to Haruhi.

“What was that about?” Avabelle asked.

“When it comes to Kyoya, who knows what he’s thinking.” Haruhi shrugged.

The rest of their appointment passed without any other intrusions until it was time for Avabelle to take her leave.

A few minutes after Avabelle had left, Kyoya walked up to Haruhi with his black notebook in hand.

“Haruhi, do you have a moment?”

“Of course senpai, what is it?”

“How did your meeting with Avab—I mean Ms. Ishida go?”

Haruhi looked at him questioningly.

“It went well, but you should know that senpai, you were there for a majority of it.”

Kyoya pushed his glasses up carefully, and walked away.

_Weird._ Haruhi thought to herself.

Haruhi racked her mind as to why Kyoya might have taken such a sudden interest in Avabelle.  As far as she knew, Avabelle was a pretty typical Ouran Academy student: formal, proper, and wealthy beyond imagination.  Beyond that, there wasn’t much else.  Sure, Avabelle had come to Japan from the United States with her father, but that was nothing too uncommon.  She was also pretty smart for her age; though she didn’t know the exact ranking, Haruhi knew Avabelle was somewhere at the top of her class and had frequently helped her dad out with his business.  Perhaps someone had finally caught Kyoya’s fancy?

“No, that’s ridiculous,” Haruhi said, shaking her head at the very thought.   

 

 


End file.
